Filled bag closing unit



May 2, 1939. N. v. CHRISTENSEN 2,156,526

FILLED BAG CLOSING UNIT Filed April 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVZZNTOR:iYorman VChrzsZensen By ATTORNEYS.

May 2, 1939.

v N. V. CHRISTENSEN FILLED BAG CLOSING UNIT Filed April 23, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet 2 [Ni 1 M012 mrman V'hrzsfenszn BY ATTORNEYS.

WITNESS% r vertically, or substantially so. I4 is shown mounted in aswivel-bracket 22,

Patented May 2, 1939 FILLED BAG CLOSING UNIT Norman V. Christensen,Chicago, Ill., assignor to Union-Special Machine Company, Chicago, 111.,

a corporation of Illinois Application April 23, 1937, Serial No. 138,589

Claims.

'My invention .relates to a machine or unit for closing .filled bags orsacks and the like, and especially toa self-contained mobile unit forthis purpose, that is preferably suspended so that it can be :pulledabout and raised and lowered at will by an operator. Such freedom ofmovement of the unit allows it to be conveniently used to fasten shutthemouths of filled bags standing on .a floor. I .have illustrated andexplained my novel unit as including a sewing machine for stitching thebag mouths, this being a preferred method of fastening-them shut.Various features andadvantagesof the invention will appear from thefollowing description of a species or form of embodiment, and from thedrawings. All the features-shown ordescribed are of 'my invention, sofar as :novel over the prior art.

In the drawings, Fig. Iis a side View of a suspended unit convenientlyembodying my invention.

,Fig. 1-1 is a plan view of the unit with certain accessories omitted.

Fig. III is a plan view of a thread stand, illustrating its attachmentto the unit. I

Fig. IV ,is a plan view of a guiding and manipulating .handle.

As shown in Figs. I and II, the bag-closing unit comprises 'a fasteningmechanism I0, such as any suitable type of sewing machine, and a bracketI I secured thereto, and carrying an (electric) motor I2 for driving themachine III. The unit is shown as suspended by a flexible cable I3passing over a pulley sheave I4 and connected to a counterweight I5, sothat the whole unit can be readily moved or adjusted up and down by theoperator. The flexible cable I3 also allows the unit to be easilyshifted horizontally to bring its sewing head I6, needle(s) I'I,presser-foot I8, and arm I9 into proper relation to the superposed edgesof a sack-mouth 20, and moved along the mouth to sew it shut. The needleII is shown in Fig. I as extending horizontally, while the arm I9 andthe sewing machine drive shaft 2I extend The pulley sheave which may besuspended in any suit-able way from the ceiling,or from a supportingcarriage on an overhead track (not shown), if such mobility of the unitis desired. As shown in Figs. I and II, the cable I3 is attached to thebracket I I, being suitably secured in an upstanding hollow boss orsleeve 23 on said bracket. A threadstand 25 is shown in Figs. I and IIIas clamped on the upper end of the boss 23: it carries two cops ofsewingthread 26 for the machine III, and gallows-like guides 21 for thethread.

As shown in Figs. I and II, the usual base 30 of the machine II; abutsagainst a vertical face of the bracket II and is secured thereto by abolt 3|. The motor .I2 is movably mounted .on a horizontal face of thebracket II, with its driving shaft 32 (substantially) horizontal, and soas to swing horizontally relative to the bracket. The motor I2 is shownattached to ,a base plate 33 which is pivoted .on the horizontal bracketface by a bolt 34 (substantially) parallel with the machine shaft 2.I.:One end of the motor :shaft 32 carries a (grooved) driving pulley 35that is connectedby a quarter-turn belt36 to a (grooved) driven pulley.3] ,on the upper end of the machine shaft -2,I. The shaft 2| is alsoprovided with a brake drum 38, here shown as formed by a plain face ofthe pulley 31 beside its belt groove. It will be seen ,that .as themotor I2 swingsone way or .the other about its pivot 3.4, the belt 36 istightened so as to drive the ,machine III, or relaxed and looseditoleave .it idle.

For the purpose of applying .and releasing the braking means on the drum38, and of relaxing and tightening the .belt .36, there is shown avertical rock shaft .40, (substantially) parallel with the machine shaft2I, .and mounted to ,turn in suitable bearings 4|, 4| carried by arms42, 42 on the bracket II. The braking means here shown consists of abrake-shoe or face 43 on an arm 44 fast to the upper end of the shaft40, above its upper bearing 4|. For swinging the motor I2, the shaft 40has an arm 45 that is connected by a (turnbuckle) link-rod 46 to an arm41 on the motor, here shown as formed by a projecting portion of theplate 33. For convenient manual operation of the shaft 40, a handle 48may be attached to its lower end. Just above this handle 48, there is abearing bracket 49 for the shaft 40, attached to the (cylindrical)machine arm I9, and provided with a handle 50. These handles 48, 50 canbe conveniently grasped by an operator and squeezed together, therebyreleasing the brake 43 and swinging the motor I2 counter-clockwise (Fig.II) to tighten the belt 36 and drive the machine I0 from the motor.Provision is preferably m-ade for automatically setting the brake 43 andrelaxing the belt 36 whenever the operator releases the shaft 40 byrelaxing his squeeze on the handles 48, 50. For this purpose, there isshown a helical torsion spring 55 around the shaft 40, above the lowerbracket arm 42, with one end attached to said arm 42 and the other endattached to a collar 56 fast on said shaft. This spring 55 continuallyurges shaft 40, brake-arm 44, and motor I2 in a clockwise direction(Fig. II).

In using the unit, the operator shifts it about horizontally or up ordown by handle 50. When he is ready to close a bag mouth, he has only tosqueeze handles 48 and 50 together, as already explained, and to moveand guide the machine It along the bag mouth by these handles. Theposition of the handles 48, 5|] makes all this easy without theoperators changing his own position, or his grip on the handles. Besidesbraking and stopping the machine It), the brake means 43, 44 serves as astop to limit the belt-relaxing or loosening swing of the motor 12, soas to avoid throwing the belt off the pulleys 35, 31.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A flexibly suspended, freely movable outfit for closing the mouths offilled sacks and the like, comprising a bracket, a fastening-machinemounted on said bracket with its driving shaft substantially vertical, amotor mounted on said bracket for movement relative thereto, a beltinterconnecting the motor and fastening machine shafts so as to betightened to drive the machine, and relaxed to leave it idle, bymovements of the motor relative to the bracket, a substantially verticalshaft and brake means for stopping the machine operated thereby, andmeans operated by movement of said shaft to swing the motor and relaxthe belt when the brake is applied, and vice-versa.

2. A flexibly suspended, freely movable outfit for closing the mouths offilled sacks and the like, comprising a bracket with bearing arms, afastening-machine mounted on said bracket with its driving shaftsubstantially vertical, said shaft having thereon a pulley and a brakedrum, a motor having a substantially horizontal pulleyequipped shaft andpivotally mounted on said bracket to swing about an axis substantiallyparallel to said machine shaft, a belt interconnecting said motor andmachine shaft pulleys so as to be tightened to drive the machine, andrelaxed to leave it idle, by swinging movements of the motor relative tothe bracket, brake means for said brake drum, a substantially vertical,manually operable shaft mounted to turn in said bearing arms of saidbracket and operatively connected to said motor and brake means torelease the brake and swing the motor to tighten the belt when the shaftis turned one way by an operator, and means for automatically applyingthe brake and swinging the motor to relax the belt when the shaft isreleased by the operator.

3. A flexibly suspended, freely movable outfit for closing the mouths offilled sacks and the like, comprising a bracket, a fastening-machinemounted on said bracket with its driving shaft substantially vertical, amotor mounted on said bracket for movement in a horizontal planerelative thereto, and having a substantially horizontal shaft, and abelt interconnecting the motor and fastening-machine shafts so as to betightened to drive the machine, and relaxed to leave it idle, bymovements of the motor horizontally relative to the bracket.

4. A flexibly suspended, freely movable outfit for closing the mouths offilled sacks and the like, comprising a bracket, a fastening-machinemounted on said bracket with its driving shaft substantially vertical,2. motor mounted on said bracket for movement in a horizontal planerelative thereto, and having a substantially horizontal shaft,a beltinterconnecting the motor and fastening-machine shafts so as to betightened to drive the machine, and relaxed to leave it idle, bymovements of the motor horizontally relative to the bracket, brake meansfor stopping the machine, and means for swinging the motor and therebyrelaxing the belt when the brake is applied, and vice-versa.

5. A flexibly suspended, freely movable outfit 3 for closing the mouthsof filled sacks and the like, comprising a bracket; a fastening-machinemounted on said bracket with its driving shaft substantially vertical; amotor movably mounted on said bracket with its shaft substantiallyhorizontal, and swingable relative to the bracket in a horizontal plane;and a belt interconnecting the motor and fastening-machine shafts so asto be tightened to drive the machine, and relaxed to leave it idle, bythe horizontal swinging of the motor relative to the bracket asaforesaid.

NORMAN V. CHRISTENSEN.

